


How to catch a grandfather in winter

by Rogercat



Category: The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien, The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Family Drama, Father Figures, Gen, Parent-Child Relationship, Rivendell | Imladris, Some Humor, Third Age, Winter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-31
Updated: 2019-12-31
Packaged: 2021-02-27 15:55:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,139
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22049737
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rogercat/pseuds/Rogercat
Summary: a very young Arwen makes a plan to ensure that Maglor stays in Imladris over the winter, and things does not go exactly as planned
Relationships: Arwen Undómiel & Celebrían, Arwen Undómiel & Elladan & Elrohir, Arwen Undómiel & Elrond Peredhel, Arwen Undómiel & Maglor | Makalaurë
Comments: 2
Kudos: 67





	How to catch a grandfather in winter

**Author's Note:**

  * For [mangacrack](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mangacrack/gifts).



Imladris, year 251 of the Third Age: 

The ten-year-old Arwen had a mission. Well, one she had given herself, to be precise, after overhearing something her parents had spoken a few evenings ago when she had been looking for one of them since she was unable to sleep. Her father Elrond was worried about Maglor, the “wandering grandfather” as he called Maglor, due to that there was a lot of signs promising a very cold winter this year. 

“I will make a trap and catch grandpa Maglor so he will stay for a longer time than just a week at most!” 

She was too little to drag him back by herself, but one servant had mentioned that Maglor had a habit of arriving through the use of a smaller stone bridge away from the main entrance bridge…. 

First of all, she had to plan how to catch him, so Maglor would not be able to escape that easy. A good start would be to check over the area around that bridge, to see what she could use. Maybe also something from the big storerooms down in the basement, once she had a plan.

“Ada will have a nice time if grandfather Maglor stays for a longer period.”

At least, that was how Arwen recalled the winter of her fifth year, and how her father had enjoyed to spend time with Maglor again before the Fëanorian had left once again in the spring. 

~X~X~X~X~X~X

A few days later, as the winter snow had covered the whole valley: 

It was the sound of a surprised cry, followed by something heavy falling down, that caught the attention from Elrond and Celebrían as they had finished a very nice walk in the gardens and were about to leave the outdoor bath, which was not used in winter season. 

“Erestor!?” Lindir's shocked voice was heard, the singer trying to see where his own companion had vanished behind his back. Since both her brothers and some servants hurried towards the back gardens, Arwen looked out through the window to see why half the household was running in that direction: 

The chief counsellor was a very unplanned catch in the trap which Arwen first set up, mainly because Erestor had planned for a shortcut in returning to the library after finishing the talk with Lindir, but it at least proved that the trap was working. 

“If it is a trap intended to catch rabbits, it is a poorly-made one. And far too large for smaller game animals,” Erestor muttered as he was helped out from the outdoor bath which he had fallen into. There was no water in the pool at this season, so he had not exactly landed comfortable. 

“Why was the round hole up there in the roof covered with a blanket instead of the wooden piece we always use to avoid snow and rain getting into the bath in this season?” Celebrían wondered aloud, picking up a blanket which had been covered by the snow and thus made it impossible for Erestor to see the danger before he set his foot down since he had been looking over his shoulder to see where Lindir was. 

No one noticed how the young daughter in the house quickly closed the window at the words her mother spoke so clearly for everyone to hear. 

~X~X~X~X~X~X

Maglor was tired, so very tired of the snow and cold after many ways of wandering. Elves normally did not freeze, but his current clothes did not offer that much warmth against winter. No, right now being in Imladris over the season and stay until spring, sounded very tempering. 

“A hot bath, warm meals and some clean clothes would be wonderful…” 

And then his left foot sunk though something. 

“Aaaaaaah!” 

Arwen, who naturally was fast asleep at this time in the late evening, had no idea about that her intended target just entered the trap. But Elrond, who had been a bit worried about the weather and personally walked around to see that no one in the household got injured, heard someone cry out in surprise. A voice that he had not heard for half a decade. 

“Ada Maglor?!” 

What had happened to his foster father? Whatever it was, Elrond hoped that it was no major injury. 

Thankfully, Maglor had been lucky enough to get a somewhat softer landing than Erestor, though Elrond did agree that it was not the most elegant manner of arriving to Imladris to seek shelter from the winter. 

“If it is one of your three brats who did this, I will have a small talk about how to not catch people in traps like this one.” 

  
  


When Arwen came down to breakfast the next morning, she found a surprise at the table where her family was seated: 

Maglor, although he did still spot one black eye from how he had landed in the trap, and Elrond had managed to patch him up before sending his foster father off to a bed to rest. Now in the morning, Maglor had enjoyed a hot bath, and as a result, was in a much better mood than the day before. 

“Good morning, little Arwen, you have grown since I last saw you five autumns ago.” 

“Nice to meet you again, grandfather!”

Despite her young age, Arwen was not stupid about that Maglor was not happy over the trap, and that she needed to act carefully around him during his stay here. He was so ancient in age, and would likely realize that it was not Elladan and Elrohir who had set the trap. 

~X~X~X~X~X~X

Maglor had actually asked Elladan and Elrohir if it was them who had set the trap, and at their honest denial in connection with the fact that they had been out on patrol several days before Erestor had been trapped in the trap, he had started to wonder if it had been Arwen after all. 

“Getting caught in the trap set by a ten-year-old...Celegorm would never let me forget a such beginner error…” Maglor thought for himself as Arwen pulled him along to show how far she had came on her lessons in reading and writing, once the whole family had finished breakfast. 

Or rather, it was a such long time since Maglor had been around children in that age-group that he had almost forgotten how it actually was to live in a such household. Anyway, he would stay for a whole season, so it was just as good that he tried to endure Arven's energy since as a child, she would remain in Imladris while her brothers could give him a break whatever they were out on patrol or any other task that Eleond gave his twin sons.


End file.
